


A Victoria Christmas - Episode Guide

by MaxKowarth



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Conventions, F/M, Fake Episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28317645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxKowarth/pseuds/MaxKowarth
Summary: A brief guide to the (entirely fictional) lost Troughton Christmas episode which reunited Team TARDIS with Victoria.It is presented as a parody of the Doctor Who magazine Archive style articles including a false convention report. as such, events are not quite how they are reported here.Original story released as part of the"Twice Upon a Time Scope" Charity anthology  in aid of SCOPE.[This link is for reference purposes and should not be taken as endorsement by anyone at AO3 other than myself.]
Relationships: Jamie McCrimmon & Victoria Waterfield
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	A Victoria Christmas - Episode Guide

“A Victoria Christmas” was the title of the 1969 Christmas special episode.

Fondly recalled by fans at the time, this moving one off adventure is almost completely lost.  
**Episode brief:**

_The TARDIS comes to rest in the far future of 1975. Zoe is eager to go and find Isobel Watkins after their recent adventure but the Doctor has a far more pressing engagement in mind.  
‘Look at the year-o-meter Zoe, it’s Christmas, actually Christmas Day!’ He rustles about in the trunk in the corner of the room, finding a bundle of un-posted cards and dashes off into the street.  
Jamie isn’t very interested in celebrating, convinced that something dreadful will happen because it always does.  
‘If it always does, perhaps we should go after the Doctor anyway, just to look after him?’  
Following a comic montage of the Doctor attempting to post his cards, the three companions find themselves at a door to a block of apartments. The Doctor rings the bell and is met, to Jamie’s surprise, by a slightly older Victoria Waterfield.  
The Doctor invites himself in on the promise that he will cook a traditional dinner for them all._

-*-

In order to keep costs down this episode was grouped together with production of ‘The Invasion’ making it an unofficial 9th episode. It reused the set of Isobel Watkins studio as Victoria Waterfield’s apartment.  
Deborah Watling supplied her own costume as miscommunication in the wardrobe department had seen them prepare a Victorian dress.

Transmission on Christmas Day had its own issues. A power cut in Cheshire meant the episode would go un-broadcast there.  
Off-air audio recordings had to compete with relatives and impatient calls to dinner.  
Broadcasting in an earlier than usual time slot also meant that no Telesnaps were completed for this episode. However several on-set pictures were taken by cast and crew as it was now known that this series would be their last.

 **Fraser Hines:** I had planned to leave the show a lot earlier. They were doing this big story of Yeti in Scotland to write me out but that all fell apart. Then we did this Christmas thing with Debs back and I thought I could stay with her. But by the time the script reached us I was already booked through to leave with Padders and Pat at the end of War Games’

-*-

In 1997 the fan community was shocked by the discovery of several feet of footage from the episode inside a film can labelled ‘Z cars’. It shows the comic attempts of the Doctor and Zoe to prepare Christmas dinner, a remarkable find as this is one the sections of the off air recoding that are the hardest to distinguish.

_INT Kitchen, pots are bubbling, The Doctor flaps a tea towel at the steam. Zoe, desperately trying to keep a straight face is most confused.  
Zoe: What is all this food for? There are only four of us.  
Doctor: It’s a tradition Zoe. I realise Christmas dinner was quite different in your time…  
Zoe: Oh yes, we were allowed three food capsules AND dessert!  
She beams proudly at the thought of dessert. The lid in front of them rattles madly and the Dr boggles at it._

-*-

The most significant rediscovery for the episode came in 2009. Documenting of local television archives uncovered an interview with Deborah Watling from the period about her forthcoming pantomime run which included ‘the balcony sequence’.  
Reunited with its off air soundtrack the seminal scene was presented as an extra on the ‘Tomb of the Cybermen Special Edition’ DVD.

_Exterior Balcony after dinner. Victoria and Jamie are watching the snow fall.  
‘Oh Jamie, look! Snow on Christmas Day. I can hardly believe it. I wonder if the Thames will freeze?’  
‘A whole river, y’cannae be serious!’ Jamie tries to make anything out through the drifting flakes. ‘Cannae see it from here anyway.’  
‘My father said it used to happen every year. They used to have performances and dances. None of that happens these days.’  
‘Dances still happen.’ He looks unsettled but puts his hands on her shoulders. ‘I’d dance wi’ you.’  
She turns to look at him with that radiant but slightly tearful smile. ‘Don’t be silly, there’s not enough room.’  
Jamie stares for a moment then his eyes widen. ‘Oh! I almost forgot, I have something for you!’ He reaches into his sporran and takes out a carefully wrapped handkerchief.  
‘A present Jamie? For me?’ She takes the tiny cotton parcel and careful unpeels it.  
‘Oh aye. It’s only right after all…’ he starts. Victoria gasps as she reveals a pair of earrings and a cameo on a silk thread.  
‘These... These are mine.’ She holds up the cameo and bites her lip as tears well in her eyes. ‘This was my mother’s.  
‘Aye, I found them in your room after you’d gone. Been keeping them wi me.’ He pats his sporran nervously, ‘For luck.’  
‘James Robert McCrimmon. You are a sentimental old fool.’ she teases and throws her arms around him. The camera moves close on his face, he too is fighting back tears.  
‘Yeah well, I suppose,’ he replies as his arms close around her.  
The snow continues to fall._

-*-

This touching scene was kept alive following its destruction by a favourite convention anecdote of Fraser Hines and Deborah Watling. Preserved for posterity it can be found alongside the remastered footage from this episode on the third disc of the animated ‘Fury from the Deep’:

_A slightly fuzzy transfer from a home video recording of a 1992 convention panel in a school hall.  
Fraser Hines and Deborah Watling are standing together and re-enact the balcony scene from memory:  
Fraser grins at the audience ‘And we have this touching moment where Jamie gives Victoria a present. Debs has a little tear in her eye, and I’m looking proud of myself. I explain ‘I found them in your room after you’d gone and I’ve been keeping ‘em with me ever since’ course in the script it’s a pair of earrings but poor Debs opens this handkerchief and it’s actually a pair of lacy knickers!’  
‘Oh Fraser!’ Deborah slaps him playfully and he rubs at his arm as if she’s really hurt him. This, as always, gets a laugh. ‘I’m supposed to hug him with gratitude at this point because he’s returned this heirloom of my cameo from my first story. I know the cameras on him and he’s supposed to well up with emotion for me. Fraser Hines, well up? They’d never seen him act had they?’  
‘Hey!’ Fraser interjects but the crowd are already laughing along with Deborah’s delighted giggling.  
‘So I took matters in my own hand, and got my own back for the knickers thing. I stood on his foot.’  
Fraser calls over the gales of laughter ‘Real tears that scene, Merry Christmas eh?’  
‘That’s not even the worst part!’ Deborah continues, going in for the kill, ‘They were Wendy’s knickers!’ The room applauds.  
Deborah points an accusing finger at Fraser. ‘And don’t you dare make a gag about pulling a Christmas cracker!’  
Fraser looks comically shocked. ‘As if I would.’_

-*-

Rumours continue to circulate to this very day that copies of the full episode still exist in private hands.

A Fan reconstruction was attempted but the lack of a clean audio made it hard listening.  
This was also the reason given for not including it in the animations for ‘Fury’ or ‘Invasion.’  
A two chapter adaptation was prepared by Ian Marter for his novelisation of ‘The Invasion' but cut for space reasons.  
The whereabouts of this manuscript is currently unknown.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my original pitch story for the 2nd Dr slot.  
> Quite rightly it was turned down in favour of an actual story version but it left this slightly saucier edition in the ether.
> 
> The TimeScope anthologies are superb and full of eclectic voices, well worth your time if you are that way inclined.
> 
> Happy Holidays to celebrate, Happy times and places to the rest of us.


End file.
